Microsoft and Barnes & Noble are announcing a new partnership to develop and sell educational e-books on the Nook e-reader. Microsoft is investing $300 million in the subsidiary, while B&N will own the remaining 82% of it. (The new operation is being provisionally called “Newco,” though the official release clarifies that B&N has “not yet decided on the name.”) Educational e-books and digital materials, an area Applewaded into with enthusiasm earlier this year, will be a key focus of the partnership, extending B&N’s interest in education through its existing B&N College and B&N Study materials. A Nook app for Windows 8 is also in the works.

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